Prisoner of War

Prison Guards

Rhea sat in her cell, legs crossed and eyes closed. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically with her steady breathing. Iroh had always talked about connecting to the spirit world. She'd never managed it, but that didn't stop her from trying. Her time as Ozia's assassin had distracted her for years and she'd been trying to reestablish the habit.

As she cleared her mind of any and all thought, she could hear even the smallest sounds echoing through the small metal room. A soft mutterings of the other prisoners drifted into her cell. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she could guess.

A loud screech interrupted her peace. She opened her eyes to find a smug guard standing in the doorway. Glaring at her, Rhea pushed herself to her feet.

"Come on." The guard nodded towards the corridor.

Rhea walked over, but the guard grabbed her arm with a searing hand. "Try anything and I promise you'll regret it."

She jerked her arm free. "I'll hold you to that." She marched out of her cell and through the halls to the prison yard.

She skirted the edges of the crowd, looking for Suki. She wanted to be near to an ally if Zan Li decided to make a move.

As if he were reading her thoughts, the brute of a man emerged from the crowd. The scar marring the left side of his face twisted unnaturally as he smirked. "Hello again, assassin."

Rhea narrowed her eyes, glaring up at him. She refused to entertain his taunts with a response.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to me." He signaled his buddies and three large men moved to surround her.

Rhea eyes each of them, assessing her situation. The guards wouldn't interfere unless firebending was involved and she doubted Zan Li would want to loose any of his "friends" to the freezer.

The first guy lunged forward and Rhea ducked out of the way, letting him charge into his friend. Almost immediately after, the other guy rushed her, catching her from behind before she could react. His thick arms squeezed her chest, forcing the air from her lungs.

Zan Li strutted forward, a wide grin confronting his scarred face. He punched her hard in the stomach and she crumpled in the other man's arms, unable to catch her breath. He pulled a pulled a slender shard of metal from the folds of his prison uniform, brandishing the rudimentary shank as he approached her.

Rhea struggled in her captor's arms, but he only tightened his grip. She leaned back into him as far as she could, watching as the dagger inched closer to her face.

Zan Li pressed the jagged blade into her skin, sending a slim trail of blood running down her cheek. "I'm going to enjoy this." He shifted his grip on the knife.

A jet of flames shot into the air, a wave of heat washing over the crowd. The guards stationed around the prison yard converged.

Zan Li and his friend dropped Rhea and slunk back into the crowd.

"This isn't over." Zan Li assured her as he disappeared in the mass of prisoners.

Rhea wiped the blood from her cheek and stared at her red fingers. "I'm sure it's not."

She edged closer to the action. A pair of guards passed her, lugging a heavyset man between them. She stared after them. She could've sworn one of those guards looked familiar. She narrowed her eyes and crept after them.

They were headed for the freezers. That meant more guards.

She pressed herself against the metal wall, titling her head ever so slightly to peek around the corner. She couldn't quite hear what the two men were talking about, but as they spoke she recognized one of the voice. She had been right. She knew exactly who he was, and he wasn't a guard.

"What are you doing?" The harsh voice snapped her out of her spinning thoughts. A guard stood at the last intersection, hands poised to attack.

Rhea stared him down, planting her feet. "Would you believe me if I said I got lost?"

Little flames sparked in his curled fingers.

"Didn't think so." She rushed forward, slid passed him along the floor, and kicked his legs out from under him.

Jumping to his feet, the guard shot a jet of flames haphazardly in her direction.

Rhea ducked under the fire and lunged at him, jabbing his arm with her knuckles. The limb immediately went limp, the flames flickering out.

"I need back up!" He managed before Rhea dropped him with another jab to his spine and darted down the hall.

The metal walls rushed by as she made her way back to the cell block. There was really no point in running. The guard had seen her. He'd tell his superiors and she'd get punished, but she didn't care right now. All that mattered was she recognized the new guard.

She didn't know why he was there or what he planned to do. She couldn't bear to hope he'd come after her. She wasn't that important.

She skidded to a stop as she passed the first few cell doors. She didn't want to look suspicious, even though it was already too late avoid the consequences. She slowed to a casual walk and made her way towards her cell, her body moving on autopilot as her brain fizzed.

"There she is!" Rhea turned to find a guard pointing at her, his nose bleeding and his arm limp at his side.

His companion lurched forward and grabbed her. "Assault of a guard is punishable by death."

Rhea only stared at him.

"Lucky for you, the Fire Lord wants you alive... at least for now." He grabbed her roughly by the arm. "We'll just have to settle for a couple hours in the freezer."

She didn't struggle as he dragged her back down the hallway. Her mind was too busy to care. She had too many questions and no one to answer them, but one rang louder the rest: why was Sokka on the Boiling Rock?

A/N:
Yay! Another chapter! Hope it was worth the wait.
Thanks again for all the support guys. I know I say this every time I update, but I really appreciate everyone sticking with me through all the craziness.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Until next time.
-Cheshire